Zirconia oxygen analyzer for the recycling, pyrolysis and incineration treatment process of waste lithium batteries

Release time: 2025-05-17


Waste lithium battery recycling, pyrolysis, and incineration treatment process and oxygen content control objectives

I. Brief description of the current treatment process

Pretreatment stage

Discharge treatment Thoroughly discharge the waste lithium batteries to prevent short circuits or explosions during subsequent processing.

Physical disassembly and sorting Separate components such as the shell, diaphragm, and electrode materials through methods such as crushing, screening, and magnetic separation.

Enrichment of active substances Separate the positive and negative electrode materials (such as lithium cobaltate, ternary materials) from metals such as copper and aluminum foil.

Pyrolysis and incineration stage

High-temperature pyrolysis Heating in an oxygen-deficient or low-oxygen environment (usually 500–800°C) causes the organic electrolyte, binder (such as PVDF), and diaphragm to volatilize and decompose into combustible gas and coke, avoiding complete oxidation.

Incineration treatment High-temperature incineration (>1000°C) of the pyrolysis residue under oxygen-rich conditions to completely decompose residual organic matter and melt metal components for subsequent recovery.

Flue gas treatment system

Rapid cooling and dust removal Rapidly reduce the temperature to prevent the resynthesis of dioxins, and remove particulate matter using bag dust removal or electrostatic precipitators.

Gas purification Using wet scrubbing (such as alkali solution absorption of HF, HCl), activated carbon adsorption (removal of dioxins), and SCR/SNCR denitrification (control of NOx).

Metal recovery

The ash after incineration is extracted for valuable metals such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium through hydrometallurgy (acid leaching, extraction) or pyrometallurgy (smelting).

II. Core objectives of oxygen content control

Optimize combustion efficiency and energy utilization

Real-time monitoring of flue gas oxygen concentration using a zirconia oxygen analyzer, dynamically adjusting the oxygen supply to maintain the optimal air-fuel ratio, ensuring complete combustion of organic matter, reducing CO and unburned hydrocarbon emissions, and avoiding energy waste caused by excessive oxygen.

Inhibit the generation of pollutants

Dioxin control Maintain high temperature (>850°C) and sufficient oxygen during the incineration stage to ensure complete decomposition; strictly control the oxygen content (<6%) during the flue gas cooling stage to avoid low-temperature resynthesis.

Reduce NOx generation Reduce the generation of thermal NOx through staged combustion (oxygen-deficient zone inhibits NOx formation, oxygen-rich zone completes combustion).

Ensure process safety

Avoid excessive oxygen in the pyrolysis stage causing violent oxidation reactions of the electrolyte or binder, leading to a sudden increase in furnace pressure or explosion risk.

Improve metal recovery quality

Precisely control the oxygen concentration in the incineration furnace (usually 2–5%) to prevent excessive oxidation of metal components (such as cobalt and nickel) to form difficult-to-treat oxides, affecting the efficiency of subsequent hydrometallurgical leaching.

III. The key role of the zirconia oxygen analyzer

This instrument is based on the principle of solid electrolyte (zirconia conducts oxygen ions at high temperatures). By measuring the difference in oxygen partial pressure between the flue gas and the reference gas, it provides real-time feedback of the oxygen concentration signal to the control system, ensuring that the process is always in the optimal oxygen content range. It has high precision (±0.1% O₂) and high-temperature resistance, suitable for the harsh working conditions of pyrolysis and incineration.

Summary Oxygen content control is a core link in the pyrolysis and incineration process of waste lithium batteries, directly affecting pollution reduction, energy efficiency, and resource recovery rate, while the zirconia oxygen analyzer is a key monitoring method for achieving this goal.

Recommended product

EXNFZRO®2 Explosion-Proof Zirconia Oxygen Analyzer Zirconia Analyzer


EXNFZRO®2 Explosion-proof Zirconia Oxygen Analyzer Significance of Measuring Oxygen Content with Zirconia Analyzer Flue gas oxygen content is one of the important monitoring parameters for boiler operation and an important basis for reflecting the completeness of combustion equipment and boiler operation. Its value is related to factors such as boiler structure, type and nature of fuel, boiler load, operating air supply conditions, and equipment sealing conditions. The smaller the oxygen content, i.e., the smaller the excess air coefficient, the more it indicates increased heat loss due to incomplete chemical combustion and mechanical incomplete combustion; the larger the oxygen content, i.e., the larger the excess air coefficient, the more it indicates excessive air supply. Excess air causes a drop in furnace temperature, which not only affects combustion but also carries away a large amount of heat and dust, increasing the calculated concentration of pollutant emissions. At the same time, a large air volume also increases the power consumption of flue gas exhaust. Controlling flue gas oxygen content is very important for controlling the combustion process and achieving safe, efficient, and low-pollution emissions. Application Scope The zirconia oxygen analyzer is an instrument used to monitor and control the oxygen concentration in combustion gases, boilers, and industrial furnaces. It is widely used in coal-fired power plants, gas boilers, waste incineration boilers, hazardous waste disposal incinerators, petrochemical cracking furnaces, metallurgical industry blast furnace hot blast stoves, oxygen-enriched combustion air pipelines, sintering furnaces, heating furnaces, heat treatment furnaces, metal material annealing furnaces, air separation oxygen production, food industry, cement kilns in the building materials industry, glass kilns, inert gas protection furnaces in the semiconductor industry, electrode material production furnaces in the lithium battery industry, and waste lithium battery recycling. It helps save energy and can also reduce CO2, SOX, and NOx emissions by controlling complete combustion, contributing to environmental protection, preventing global warming, and reducing air pollution. Anhui Tianfen Instrument Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer of zirconia analyzers, providing products for steel mills, chemical plants, power plants, waste power plants, and more. Their product range includes TKFX-ZOA zirconia analyzers, ZO-2000 desktop zirconia analyzers, MKFB-400-A/H explosion-proof zirconia analyzers, ZOA-300B zirconia analyzers, ZO-FIIB explosion-proof zirconia oxygen analyzers, CY-ZC, CY-ZDA zirconia analyzers, OXT3000 series zirconia oxygen content analyzers, integrated oxygen analyzers, corrosion-resistant zirconia analyzers, YB-88G zirconia oxygen analyzers, OXT1000 series zirconia analyzers, TKZO-5 zirconia analyzers, NFZRO2-5 zirconia analyzers, ZR402G zirconia oxygen analyzers, CE-2C, CE-2D zirconia analyzers, ZFK8R zirconia analyzers, hot blast stove zirconia analyzers for steel mills, special zirconia analyzers for hazardous waste, MK-400-A-FHC corrosion-resistant zirconia analyzers, abrasion-resistant zirconia analyzers, EXFZZRO2-88 explosion-proof zirconia analyzers, FZZRO2-5 zirconia oxygen analyzers, NFZO-05 high-temperature extraction zirconia analyzers, YB-88GJ-ZW zirconia analyzers, abrasion-resistant zirconia analyzers, oxygen analyzers, trace oxygen analyzers, steel mill zirconia analyzers, waterproof zirconia analyzers. Oxygen analyzers include the OAM-800 oxygen analyzer (zirconia) and the OAM-802 explosion-proof oxygen analyzer (zirconia), as well as the BOA-807 series (integrated) and BOA-807-R (split) series specifically for waste power plant boilers. Oxygen analyzers measure the oxygen concentration in flue gas and other non-combustible gases during combustion. Tianfen oxygen analyzers include the OAM-800 oxygen analyzer (zirconia) and the OAM-802 explosion-proof oxygen analyzer (zirconia). The standard oxygen analyzers include the integrated OAM-800 and the split OAM-800-R. They use a direct insertion online measurement method, can display measurement data and fault information on-site, and feature high accuracy, fast measurement, and low maintenance. The OAM-800 series features zirconia sensors with nano-coatings and various abrasion-resistant protective tubes. The explosion-proof oxygen analyzers include the integrated OAM-802 and the split OAM-802-R. These are PCEC-certified explosion-proof products suitable for boilers, heating furnaces, incinerators, converters, and other explosion-proof environments.
Learn More